Janitors who clean the buildings of some of Houston''s most profitable companies currently make around $8 an hour, which averages out to less than $9,000 a year, the article stated.

According to the article, the janitors are hired from about several different cleaning agencies that negotiate their own contracts with the individual buildings.

"If you work hard, you think that you can have a better future and you can make a living. But unfortunately, in this case it is not true, because not matter how hard you try, you cannot provide for your family and you can hardly meet your own needs," said Union Director Elsa Caballero.

"Janitors currently are making less than $9,000 a year, which is half of what they need to make to be able to live here in Houston. This is just going to help the economy. If Houston families are making better wages, if working families are getting good jobs, that can only continue to help the economy of Houston," Caballero added.

The union is currently using Chicago as a basis for negotiations; janitors there won a contract that will pay them as much as $16 an hour, the article noted.